Dorofeyev returns, delivers OT winner for Golden Knights in Game 5

LAS VEGAS -- In the second period, he was hurt. Pavel Dorofeyev blocked a shot with a knee, crumpled to the ice and hobbled down the tunnel, disappearing into the Vegas Golden Knights dressing room with the help of a trainer.

In overtime, he was the hero. The forward batted a puck underneath the crossbar at 4:10, scoring his second goal of the game and giving the Golden Knights a 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

“Yeah, feels special,” Dorofeyev said with a smile. “I think we need it.”

Vegas leads the best-of-7 series 3-2. The Golden Knights can eliminate the Ducks in Game 6 at Honda Center in Anaheim on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN360, SN, TVAS) and make the third round for the fifth time in nine seasons since entering the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18.

Dorofeyev has three goals in two games and seven in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tied for first with Golden Knights forward Brett Howden, Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy and Carolina Hurricanes forward Logan Stankoven.

“Massive game for ‘Pav’,” Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “I think everyone who watches our games knows that he’s an elite goal-scorer, and in playoffs, sometimes you’ve got to eat a shot or take a hit to make a play. Massive block by him. To come back and score OT winner, massive. It’s big plays that leads to big moments.”

Dorofeyev has scored 72 goals in 164 games over the past two regular seasons, 16 more than anyone else for Vegas.

He had only one goal in nine playoff games in his NHL career entering the first round, and then he didn’t score in the first three games against the Utah Mammoth.

But he scored in a 5-4 overtime win in Game 4 of that series, and he had a hat trick in a 5-4 OT win in Game 5, his third goal tying the score 4-4 with the goalie pulled with 52.7 seconds left in the third period. Vegas defeated Utah in six games.

Now this.

“The puck seems to follow him, huh?” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “Doesn’t say much. Just goes and plays. Makes a big play the other night when we came back and scored with the goalie pulled. Has another chance. The puck just seems to follow him. He’s a good player, good two-way player.”

Dorofeyev used defense to create offense in the first period Tuesday. On the power play, he came up from behind Ducks forward Chris Kreider and swiped the puck inside the Anaheim blue line. He cut to the middle of the ice, and from the high slot, he fired the puck past goalie Lukas Dostal stick side at 16:13, tying the score 1-1.

“Nothing special there,” Dorofeyev said.

Oh? Well, how about this then?

Off a face-off in the Vegas end in the second period, Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe blasted a shot from the left point off Dorofeyev’s knee at 8:53. Dorofeyev dropped to the ice and writhed in pain as the play continued for seven agonizing seconds. When the whistle finally blew, he stayed on all fours until he could be helped to the room.

He returned at 16:53, took one shift and was fine for the third period.

“Just block shot,” he said. “It’s kind of, like, (bad) part of my job, but it hurts more when it misses. So, yeah, just get myself together and got back on the ice.”

Forward Tomas Hertl gave Vegas a 2-1 lead at 4:48 of the third, but defenseman Olen Zellweger tied it 2-2 at 16:55.

The Golden Knights remained confident.

“We’re an older team, and it’s that feeling that no moment is too big,” Andersson said. “We’re very confident when we go to overtime. I think we keep our composure and just try to simplify stuff honestly. Usually overtime goals, it’s not the prettiest. It’s the rebounds or the tips or the screens, the shot from the blue line. We just try to stay calm in there and just work shift by shift.”

In the end, center Jack Eichel fired the puck from low in the right circle off Dostal’s right pad. The puck ricocheted to Dorofeyev, who batted it out of the air and underneath the crossbar for the first playoff overtime goal of his NHL career.

“To be honest with you, I can’t even tell you what happened there,” he said. “I just saw the puck, just got my stick on it and thankfully got it.”

Dorofeyev wound up, pumped his fist and embraced his teammates as the horn blew and the arena roared.

“It was so good,” he said. “I mean, score first OT in the playoffs, it’s awesome.”

Special.

Then again, nothing special.

“It’s what I got to do,” Dorofeyev said with a laugh. “It’s just my job.”